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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25958314">home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/distracted_dragon/pseuds/distracted_dragon'>distracted_dragon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, jason todd: mother hen extraordinaire, kryptonians can purr because i say so, only lightly stabbed, referenced character death, tender domesticity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:35:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,382</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25958314</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/distracted_dragon/pseuds/distracted_dragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim returns from a mission exhausted and with a new stab wound. Luckily, Kon is there to take care of him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>271</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Things this fic contains: fluff and Tenderness(TM)<br/>Things this fic does not contain: plot</p><p>I needed to write something to balance out the angst in <i>birds fly in every direction</i>, so this fic happened. Shoutout to unluckyloki and acidulication for listening to me yell about this one shot!</p><p>Some good songs to play while reading this are Take On The World by You Me at Six, Armor by Landon Austin, and Are You With Me by nilu.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tim grits his teeth as he walks through the front door of the apartment that he shares with Kon. He drops his duffel bag down on the rug next to the sofa before allowing himself to finally collapse into the beautiful invention known as cushions.</p><p>Letting his head hit the back of the sofa, Tim sighs and contemplates the sharp, unwelcome pain in his ribs. In his experience, getting stabbed will cause things such as pain. Despite being well-acquainted with the sensation, it isn’t exactly pleasant.</p><p>Jason stitched the stab wound up for him in addition to giving him a handful of advil that Tim only took two of before stashing the rest in a random drawer in Jason’s apartment while his back was turned. He doesn’t like the way that painkillers make his head feel slow and warm, like it’s wrapped in a blanket of fog. After all, <em>somebody</em> needs to type up a report to inform the Green Lanterns that somebody in Gotham has access to illegal alien tech. Considering how Jason had been up for the past thirty-six hours for their stakeout while Tim has only been awake for the past twenty-four, the choice is obvious.</p><p>Bending over to retrieve his laptop from his duffel bag causes the wound in his side to flare with bright, searing pain like his insides are being barbecued on the surface of the sun. Tim gasps and just barely manages to yank his laptop out of the bag as his vision goes spotty.</p><p>He takes a moment to let the pain subside into angry throbbing before he opens his laptop, squinting at the sudden onslaught of bright light. Tim unlocks his laptop before pulling up an empty document so he can begin typing his report.</p><p>After entering the date and location of the stakeout, he frowns. Didn’t the arms smugglers refer to the alien tech by a particular name? Tim leans back into the couch and stares pensively up at the ceiling. What was that name? He closes his eyes as he plays back each step of busting the arms smuggling ring. There was the initial infiltration, the first time he and Jason were allowed into the warehouse, the excruciating stakeout, and they were finally able to raid the warehouse….</p><p>Sometime in the space between one thought and the next, Tim falls asleep.</p><p>“Babe,” a familiar voice whispers.</p><p>Without opening his eyes, Tim grumbles a response that means something along the lines of <em>please let me continue to fucking sleep</em>. Still, the voice doesn’t relent. “Babe,” it repeats. “Tim. C’mon, you’re going to be sore if you sleep on the couch.”</p><p>Tim opens his eyes and finds his boyfriend staring back at him. There’s a slight crease in his brow that means he’s concerned but not overly worried.</p><p>“Hi, sleeping beauty,” Kon says with a goofy grin. “I’m just gonna move you to the bed so you can actually sleep.”</p><p>Tim grunts in assent and Kon slips his arms around him, preparing to pick him up. However, as soon as Kon’s arm presses against the newly-stitched wound on Tim’s side, Tim gasps in pain and instinctively flinches away.</p><p>Kon immediately steps back, snatching his hands back. “Shit, I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”</p><p>Pressing a hand to his side, Tim waves Kon off. “A little. It’s fine.”</p><p>That little line in Kon’s brow deepens. “That doesn’t sound like a little.” He kneels in front of Tim, looking up at him worriedly. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“It’s not that bad, in the grand scheme of things,” Tim rasps. “I was only lightly stabbed.”</p><p>“Lightly stabbed.”</p><p>“Yeah, just a little. Didn’t even hit any organs or anything.”</p><p>Kon glances at Tim’s computer, which is sitting on the coffee table and still open. “And you were planing on working more?”</p><p>Tim shrugs. “I have to type up a report.”</p><p>“I’m going to suggest an a different idea. Are you ready?”</p><p>Raising one eyebrow, Tim gestures for Kon to proceed.</p><p>“See, I was talking to Clark the other day and he said the darndest thing,” Kon begins.</p><p>Tim can’t keep himself from snorting. “The ‘darndest thing’?”</p><p>“Yes,the darndest thing, hush. He said that humans do this absolutely wild thing, you’re never gonna believe it. It’s called <em>sleeping</em> in a <em>bed</em>,” Kon explains, raising both of his eyebrows. “I’m thinking, hey, why don’t you try it?”</p><p>“It’s funny that Clark was the one to say that. I’m pretty sure that at least twenty percent of his sleep comes from napping in patches of sunlight on the floor,” Tim remarks. “Also, I do sleep in a bed.”</p><p>“When did you last sleep in a bed?” Kon counters.</p><p>Closing his eyes, Tim hums loudly. “Sorry, Tim is unavailable right now. Please leave a message after the beep. Beep.”</p><p>Laughing quietly, Kon places one warm hand on Tim’s knee and rubs circles into it with his thumb. “If I carry you over with my TTK, will you sleep in a bed?”</p><p>Tim cracks open one eye. “Depends.”</p><p>“On what?”</p><p>“...Will there be food in bed?”</p><p>“I can heat up some leftovers and bring them to you.”</p><p>At last, Tim nods and shuts both of his eyes. “Very well. Bring me to this ‘bed’ you speak of.”</p><p>Laughing, Kon stands up and easily scoops Tim up with his TTK. He’s wrapped up in a gentle pressure, but, noticeably, there’s nothing touching his injured side. Tim lets Kon lace their fingers together and lightly lead Tim by the hand as he floats him into their bedroom. The TTK gently deposits Tim on their bed and he opens his eyes as the mattress dips next to him.</p><p>“Hey,” Kon says, smiling down at him.</p><p>Tim feels himself smile. “Hi,” he replies, and then Kon leans down and kisses him.</p><p>“I missed you,” Kon murmurs against Tim’s mouth before planting another kiss on his lips. Leaning into the kiss, Tim tangles his fingers in Kon’s curls. It’s soft and warm and feels like coming home. When they finally pull away, Kon is breathless and smiling crookedly.</p><p>“I missed you too,” Tim tells him, and Kon’s smile widens.</p><p>“I’ll go reheat something for you, but I wanna check your side after you eat.”</p><p>Raising one eyebrow at Kon, Tim pokes him with his foot. “You just want to see me shirtless.”</p><p>“That too,” Kon replies, grinning.</p><p>Rolling his eyes, Tim nudges Kon with his foot again, earning a laugh as Kon stands up and heads into the kitchen. Tim closes his eyes again and drifts drowsily until Kon returns with food. Only then does Tim finally heave himself upright, wincing at the way that the motion pulls uncomfortably at his stitches.</p><p>Kon flops down in bed next to him, tossing his jacket onto the chair in the corner and scrolling through his phone as Tim eats. It looks like some kind of casserole-- one of Ma Kent’s recipes, no doubt. Tim is hungrier than he thought, so he eats quickly and lets Kon float the now-empty dish onto the nightstand.</p><p>Sitting up, Kon sets down his phone and turns to face Tim. “All right, let me take a look at your side?”</p><p>Tim nods and starts to pull off his sweater, but the motion tugs painfully at his side. He ends up with his head stuck in his sweater and his arms lost somewhere inside the sleeves. Turning to where he assumes Kon must be, Tim shoots him a despairing look through the fabric. “Help.”</p><p>“Sure thing, babe.” Giggling, Kon reaches over and carefully frees Tim’s head, then his arms, from his sweater. He tosses it onto the laundry pile in the corner before turning back to Tim. “There, I saved you from the deadly sweater.”</p><p>“You saved my life,” Tim deadpans. “However shall I repay you?”</p><p>Kon leans in and wiggles his eyebrows. “You can kiss me, you know.”</p><p>Smiling, Tim leans in and kisses Kon. “There you go. Happy?”</p><p>Kon kisses him once more before drawing away. “Very. All right, let me take a look at you.” He leans back and his eyes flash white as he activates his x-ray vision. “Well, it didn’t break any bones, so that’s good….”</p><p>Tim leans back on his hands and holds still as Kon peers at his side.</p><p>“Who did your stitches?”</p><p>“Jason. Considering the amount of sleep he’s gotten, they’re pretty good.”</p><p>“Must be the bat training. Lesson one, how to lurk ominously. Lesson two, how to stitch yourself up. Lesson three, how to punch things.”</p><p>“Actually, we didn’t learn how to do stitches on people until later. Alfred had us practice on oranges first.”</p><p>“And how did that go?”</p><p>Tim grins. “Poorly.”</p><p>Kon laughs quietly and pats Tim’s thigh. “It doesn’t look like any stitches tore. You’re right, it didn’t hit any major organs either. Congratulations, you’re still in one piece.”</p><p>Yawning, Tim slowly lays back down. “Great, that’s a dream come true.”</p><p>“You’re a dream come true, babe,” Kon replies, settling down on his side next to Tim.</p><p>Tim turns his head so he can smile at Kon. “That was a cheesy one.”</p><p>Grinning, Kon pecks him on the forehead. “I know. Hey, how sore is your side? Think it can stand some light cuddling?”</p><p>“Definitely, get over here.”</p><p>Kon wriggles closer and carefully throws his arm over Tim’s waist before pillowing his head on Tim’s shoulder. As always, it’s amazing to watch Kon curl his tall frame into a ball as he clings to Tim.</p><p>With a soft sigh, Kon nuzzles Tim’s neck. “I love you.”</p><p>Tim kisses the top of Kon’s head. “Love you too,” he murmurs.</p><p>They stay like that for a minute as Tim closes his eyes. Without opening them, he asks, “What’s the likelihood of you falling asleep on me within an hour?”</p><p>“Pretty high. I found you on the couch right after I came home from work, so I’m pretty tired and you’re a good pillow. I could conk out right here.”</p><p>Tim hums. “How was work?”</p><p>Even without looking, he can tell that Kon is making a face. “Somebody brought in this bike-- this really nasty piece of work, let me tell you-- and wanted me to fix it up. The thing is, the cost to repair it was almost as much as the bike was worth. I told the customer, hey, it’s not worth it, and he got all up in my face about it.”</p><p>“Aw, I’m sorry,” Tim murmurs, carding his fingers through Kon’s hair. “You were only trying to help.”</p><p>“Exactly! We ended up fixing it up anyways, but the customer was a jerk when he came to pick it up. It freakin’ sucked,” Kon grumbles into Tim’s chest. “I was just trying to be nice!”</p><p>Humming, Tim continues running his hands through Kon’s hair. Kon grows quiet and leans into his hand with a pleased sigh. For a few minutes, Tim pets his hair in silence until a familiar rumble fills the air. Smiling, Tim listens to the soothing sound of Kon’s purring and lets the sensation reverberate around his chest.</p><p>“Ah, so you’ve started the engine,” Tim remarks casually.</p><p>Without lifting his head, Kon grumbles something in reply but continues purring nonetheless.</p><p>“For the record, I still think that your purring should be measured in Konpower, not horsepower.”</p><p>Kon opens one eye and snuggles closer to Tim before closing it again. Laughing quietly, Tim kisses the top of his head before settling back onto the bed. He closes his eyes and absently pets Kon’s hair as he purrs.</p><p>“Hey, babe,” Kon murmurs when Tim is just beginning to drift. “You know that I’m proud of you, right?”</p><p>Tim opens his eyes. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”</p><p>“I mean, you’re out there doing all of the superhero stuff alongside us, but you can get injured,” Kon says softly, gazing up at Tim. After a moment, he glances away. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just on my mind because you’re hurt, and everything.”</p><p>Tim frowns. “And you’re proud of me for getting injured?”</p><p>Shaking his head, Kon’s grip around his waist momentarily tightens. “What I’m trying to say is that you put yourself in danger every time that you’re out there, and that takes guts. That’s all.”</p><p>“You can get hurt too,” he says softly. Reaching up to cup Kon’s face, Tim runs his thumb over his cheekbone and watches as Kon’s eyes flutter shut. They don’t often speak of those months when Kon was dead. It happened years ago, now, but Tim still remembers the pain of his loss like a phantom ache in his chest.</p><p>Kon inhales a shuddering breath and places his hand over Tim’s. His skin is warm like a miniature sun. “I know,” he whispers. For a moment, the room fills with silence, save for the sound of their quiet breathing. Finally, Kon says, “Still, the way that you run around throwing yourself into every fight you see… I dunno, babe. Seems pretty heroic to me.”</p><p>A smile spreads across Tim’s face. “When have you ever known me to back down from a challenge?”</p><p>Kon buries his laugh in Tim’s shoulder. “I know, I know. You’re a feral little creature with no fear of god.”</p><p>“Exactly.” Tim kisses the top of Kon’s head. “But really, I just want to do the right thing, and sometimes that involves getting into a fight or two. That’s all.”</p><p>In response, Kon pushes himself onto his elbows and kisses Tim. When he pulls away, he gently rests their foreheads together. They stay like that, just breathing each other’s air as Tim cups Kon’s face with one hand.</p><p>“I really am proud of you,” Kon says at last. “I hate seeing you get hurt, but the shit you do… damn.”</p><p>“Somebody has to do it,” Tim replies.</p><p>Kon kisses him again before settling down against his side. “You should get some sleep.”</p><p>Glancing down at his sweatpants, Tim shrugs. These will do as pajamas. Stifling a yawn, Tim wraps an arm around Kon and pulls him closer. It doesn’t take long for them to fall asleep, all wrapped up in each other. Between the sound of Kon’s soft breathing and his familiar warmth curled into Tim’s side, Tim can finally relax. He’s home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I occasionally talk about my other works on my tumblr, <a href="https://batfam-chaos.tumblr.com/">batfam-chaos</a>. Feel free to come yell at me there!</p><p>This was almost completely unedited, so please forgive any weird grammar or spelling errors. I wrote it between 11pm and 2am.</p><p>Thank you for reading!! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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